Cops surprise man who allegedly traveled 1,000 miles to have sex with a 9-year-old girl

A 64-year-old man traveled more than 1,000 miles from Austin, Texas, to Orlando, Fla., to have sex with a 9-year-old girl, but when he arrived at the address where he thought he was meeting the child, undercover detectives were waiting for him, police say.

Mark Andrew Nichols was arrested Saturday and faces an array of charges, including attempted sexual battery of a child under 12 years old; attempted lewd or lascivious, solicitation of a minor via computer; obscene communication; travel to meet a minor; and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Police said Nichols was carrying Sour Patch Kids candy, a bag of Skittles and a bottle of lubricant when he was arrested.

Mark Nichols traveled from TX to meet & have sex with a 9-yr-old girl. Instead, he was met by OPD. We'll never stop going after predators. pic.twitter.com/WJUr22lrkW

On Sept. 13, Nichols allegedly responded to an ad posted by undercover sex crime detectives on a website, in which a detective posed as a father and mother. The ad referenced meeting “experienced parents to learn new things about raising little ones,” according to investigators.